Rose by Another Name
by S. E. Mercury
Summary: "Just think of it as a rose by another name."


_I do not own Phineas and Ferb or any of the characters. They belong to Disney._

Please note that this is a revised version.

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Rose by Another Name (Revised Edition)

Vanessa walked into her room and slowly shut the door behind her before leaning her head against its frame and shutting her eyes.

"I can't believe he just broke up with me," she mumbled, "and over the phone too. I mean, who does that?" Vanessa's voice caught in her throat, and she ceased speaking.

She gazed around her room that had taken on a foreign aura since she had last left it and stood up straight. Vanessa sighed as reality sunk in, and she began to make her way across the floor. Bit by bit, she reached the shelves bearing multiple pictures of her and Johnny. For a long time, Vanessa just stared blankly at the images of a much happier time that now only lived in the metal frames. Then, as if in a trance, she lifted her hand up and removed the first photograph from its delicate framework and held it in her hand. This action was repeated until all the pictures were located in Vanessa's hand. With the same speed it had taken her to arrive at the photographs, Vanessa trekked her way over to the trash bin near the door. Emotion broke through her stoic demeanor, and she sniffed as the photos descended into the wastebasket.

Dizzy: That was how she felt now. As if the room was madly spinning, Vanessa cautiously made her way over to her bed and sat down, waiting for the moment to pass. While looking around her room again, as it had yet to lose the alien feel, she noticed a peculiar object resting on her pillow that had evaded her attention before. A single daisy with a note attached lie there, rather out of place. To have such an innocent flower in this melancholic atmosphere was so ironic, that Vanessa wanted to laugh.

Despite her amusement by the contradiction, she did not laugh. In fact, Vanessa stared at it guardedly, as if it would turn into something nasty without any given notice. Hesitantly, she picked the note up and skimmed to the bottom. It was not signed. Slightly annoyed at the letter's author for not leaving a signature, Vanessa then read it for the content.

_Dear Vanessa,_ it said, _I had bought you a rose when we were on that adventure, but I never had the pleasure of giving it to you. I am afraid I was too shy to give it to you upon the return home, and the rose has been long dead. I greatly regretted not giving you the flower though. I was walking along, today, and I saw this daisy. It made me think of you. I know it is not the same thing, but just think of it as a rose by another name._

Vanessa reread the note and then read it a third time, only becoming more and more confused as she did so. The only part that made sense to her was the last bit about the rose by another name. It was a loose quote from Shakespeare, and Vanessa almost smiled as she remembered her nutty teacher from Ninth Grade English explaining that particular scene of _Romeo and Juliet_. She then felt slightly sick. That was the class she first met Johnny as well.

Without a second thought, Vanessa took the letter and floweret over to the trash and disposed of them as well. She ambled sluggishly back to her bed and, without undressing, proceeded to attempt to sleep. Vanessa did not care that her boots were still on, or that the sun was still bright in the sky; she just wanted this day to be over.

The bright sunlight that was cascading though the window woke Vanessa the next morning. Her stomach gave a rather loud growl, and she groggily got out of bed to go get breakfast. As she was exiting her room, Vanessa spied the wilting daisy in the trash. The memories of last night came flooding back, and she groaned in frustration and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Grabbing a bowl of cereal, she wondered if, perhaps, the note and flower had been a joke from Johnny or one of his friends.

_One of his friends that he chose over me,_ she thought bitterly. _No, none of them are smart enough to make a Shakespearean connection._ The memory of them all shooting spitballs at each other during that particular class came to her mind. _Maybe it was to the wrong Vanessa._ She felt a twinge of guilt at the idea of receiving someone else's letter, especially one so personal, by mistake. After a great deal of thinking while chewing her meal, Vanessa concluded that this was the most logical conclusion she could think of. _I mean, surely I can't be the only person named Vanessa around here. And I can't remember any adventures I've been on lately. Well, whoever they are, I bet he,_ she mused sourly, _wouldn't leave her though a phone call._

Somewhat crestfallen, Vanessa looked around and realized how quiet it had been this morning. Usually at this time, her mother would be up and making conversation about nothing, however, her presence was lacking today. Vanessa searched the room with her eyes for any sign of her mother, until she spotted a large, pink post-it note stuck on the door. She went over to the note a read it.

_Vanessa, had to go to work early today. Don't forget you are visiting your father today. He will pick you up._

Sadly, this note was, undoubtedly, for her.

"Ugh, he's always doing something weird!" she said aloud. "Like the time he tried to blow up Perry the Platypus on my birthday, or when he tried to build an empire out at sea, or," she made a face, "that one time he tried to make pigeons poop on Uncle Roger, and when he almost dropped a giant water balloon in Tokyo." Vanessa could not help but chuckle a little at this. "That was such a crazy day. I ended up in Paris; what and adventure." At this she stopped, and something clicked into place. "An adventure…"

Vanessa sprinted up to her room and grabbed the letter out of the trash can and read it for a fourth time. It all made sense to her now, and she remembered her journey with that peculiar group of ten-year-olds and their sister. One particular moment stood out to her:

She was standing on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France with a young, green-haired boy. Vanessa was lamenting the fact that her father was so busy.

"Well, sometimes when you love somebody, you have to meet them half way," he told her while taking measurements.

"Half way huh," Vanessa responded. "Like, take an interest in his work? I would, but…" and she rambled on about how her father's work is evil. Vanessa noticed that the green-haired boy was eyeing the small flower shop near by. Still talking, she glanced down at the scenery below them, and when she returned her gaze, the boy had disappeared.

When Vanessa's mind returned to reality, she smiled down at the note. She proceeded to scoop up the wilting flower from the bin and took it to the kitchen. She filled up a glass of water and put the daisy into it. She wanted to preserve this for as long as she could.

"Ferb," Vanessa whispered tenderly, then inhaled the scent of her rose in disguise. She smiled, for she knew that there was at least one decent person out there for her. And, at the moment, that was all that mattered to her.


End file.
